Topic outline

  • Frequently Asked Questions



    What happens when I do not receive a confirmation email to set up my user account?

    Occasionally, the confirmation email will end up in the spam folder, there may be a typo in the email address you submitted, or it may have been intercepted by an aggressive firewall system. If you are still unable to confirm your user account, just send us an email, by clicking on the "Contact Us" button on the homepage, and we will gladly confirm your account through our admin privileges.

    How do I receive my certificate of completion?

    Once you have completed the quiz with a passing grade of 70%, simply click on the "Print Certificate" button on the course page. Certificates are created in PDF format, so that you may print a copy for your records. (If you require a hard copy to be mailed to you, we will gladly do so free of charge. Please allow up to 2 weeks to process).

    What does our online course consist of?

    It consists of a PDF formatted Study Guide, a corresponding computer graded quiz, and a PDF formatted automatically generated Certificate of Completion..

    Can I save my progress while taking a test and come back later or must a test be completed all at once?

    Yes, In order to save your quiz progress, just click on the "Submit without finishing" button at the bottom of the quiz.

    If I fail the exam, may I retest without penalty?

    Yes, you may take the quizzes over and over until satisfying your 70% passing score.

    Am I able to print out the course’s Study Guide, and the final exam?

    Yes and No. The Study Guide may be printed for your review and long term reference, however the exams are not downloadable or printable.

    Can I receive a full refund for my purchase?

    Yes, we fully guarantee complete satisfaction, and credit acceptance. Should you feel that our courses do not meet yours, or your state boards standards, we will completely refund your full purchase.

    However, should you receive a full refund, we can no longer verify that the courses were purchased should the credits be submitted to your board(s). NOTE: Many states require a proof or receipt of purchase of CE courses during audit proceedings.

    Do you provide hard copies of certificates of completion?

    Yes, should you lack the ability to print your certificates of completion, we will print and mail you hard copies. We ask that you complete all of the courses, prior to requesting copies, and allow us up to 2 weeks, for processing and shipping.

    How much time do I have to complete a quiz?

    "Single Course Credit" Purchases:
    For "single PDH credit" purchases (single credits), you have no expiration date on using those credits.

    Unlimited PDH Memberships:
    You have either one year or 2 years from your purchase to complete all of your course quizzes, depending on the membership you have purchased.

    How do I know if my credit card transaction is secure?

    Both our website, and our credit card processor, PayPal.com use the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the information you provide when placing your order. (Note: your financial data is made aviable strictly to Paypal, and not Online-PDH).

    The transaction information is encrypted on your computer, sent through the Internet as scrambled code, and decrypted on the credit card processor's secure server. Therefore, your credit card information is totally secure and cannot be read in transit. And as mentioned above, no financial data is ever made available to Online-PDH; only to Paypal.

    Do I need to submit a copy of my certificates of completion to the state board?

    Usually you do not need to mail your certificates of completion to your board unless you are asked to do so on the renewal form or when you are audited. However, you should keep a copy of the certificate of completion for your personal record. Should your board require notice from our company of completed courses, we will gladly do so, upon request. Just email us at admin@online-pdh.com with your request and appropriate contact info.

    How many questions are there in each quiz?

    The number of quiz questions corresponds to the NCEES guidelines which states that for the first PDH of each course, 10 questions are required. For each additional PDH, 5 questions should be added. For example, a 4 PDH course would have 25 questions.

    How do I retrieve my password?

    You may retrieve your password by using the “Forgot your Password” link on our home page or on the user login screen. If you run into trouble, simply email us using the "Contact Us" link on each course page.

    Why am I unable to open the PDF formatted Study Guide?

    This could be caused by either:

    1. Your computer's memory resources are low. In other words, you may have several applications running, and your computer may not have sufficient memory storage to process another document. In this case, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    Or, another trick is:
    to open your task manager in Windows (Cntl-Alt-Delete), and click on the "Details" tab. Then click on the memory tab to see if there is a routine or app running on your computer which is hogging the memory.

    2. You may not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer or you may have an earlier version. The latest version of Adobe Reader is available online.

    Can I access my account from any computer?

    Yes. To access your account, all you need to login is the same user ID and password you used previously.

    Is one PDH unit the same as one hour of continuing education or contact hour?

    Yes, one PDH (Processional Development Hour) is equal to one hour of continuing education or one contact hour. See the table below for typical conversion from other continuing education activities to PDH:

    CONVERSION TABLE
    • One college semester hour.................................. 45 PDH
    • One college quarter hour..................................... 30 PDH
    • One continuing education unit (CEU)..................... 10 PDH
    • One contact hour of teaching for the first time ........ 2 PDH
    • Each published paper, article or book.................... 10 PDH
    • Each patent..................................................... 10 PDH

    Why is an online course recommended over seminars, conferences, or other forms of courses?

    • Convenience - You can study the course materials and complete the quiz at your own pace in the comfort of your own home or office.
    • Efficient and Economical - You save a lot of time and money because there are no travel, instructor, facility, and lodging costs. No wasted time off from work to attend distant courses.
    • You may study in intervals - You benefit both in convenience and material comprehension because the course does not need to be completed at one seating.

    What is the passing score for courses quizzes (exams)?

    The passing score is 70% for all online-PDH quizzes. This passing score is required, in order to activate the "Print Certificate" function.

    How does your continuing education program work?

    All of our courses are designed with the clear purpose and objective to maintain and improve the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee's field of practice. Developed and maintained by professional engineers, www.Online-PDH.com is an automated virtual classroom dedicated to the online continuing education for engineers.

    All of the online courses offered comply with the model guidelines published by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which are adopted by most state boards of registration for PE continuing professional competency (CPC). Because they are selected based on their educational background and practical experience, our instructors are qualified to teach the subject matter with years of practical experience, and are registered professionals in their field of practice.

    How long do we save licensee's certificates and receipts of purchase?

    As an approved continuing education provider, we maintain records of all online PDH activities for at least seven (7) years. Our records include the name of the attendee who satisfactorily completed the course, the type of activity, date of the activity, the instructor's name, sponsoring organization, and the PDH credits earned. Copies of these records for audit verification purposes may be requested by sending emails to admin@online-pdh.com. Please note that most state boards require course proofs of purchase during audit proceedings.

    How much time do I have to complete the quiz?

    There is no time limit while you take the quiz using credit purchase, however the unlimited plans require that you complete the quiz phase within the 12 month or 24 month periods.

    If you can't finish a quiz in one session, you may save the partially completed quiz for use next time, as our server will rsave your partially completed quiz.

    How do I purchase an online course?

    To obtain PDH credits, you must purchase the course and take a quiz.
    There are two payment options:
    • 1. Payment by Credit Card via PayPal - We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover through PayPal.com. If you experience any problem with PayPal.com, you may contact them at 1-888-221-1161.
    • 2. Payment by Check or Money Order - If you experience any difficulties in paying by credit card online or prefer to pay by check, you may purchase the course by sending a check or money order to:
    Online-PDH.com 1265 San Juan Dr. Merritt Island, FL 32952

    Note: The check or money order should be made payable to Online-PDH, and must be drawn on a US bank in US dollars. Once we receive your payment, we will notify you by email so that you can take the quiz and obtain your Certificates of Completion. We do not accept credit card orders over the phone, fax or email for your protection.

    What if I have trouble with my credit card purchase?

    Online credit card transaction failure could be caused by one of the following reasons: 1. You entered an incorrect Security Code on the payment screen. The specified security code was invalid.

    To resolve this issue, you need to enter the special characters shown in a gray box of the payment screen as the Security Code. This Security Code is different from CVS (Card Verification Code) - last 3 numbers from back of card (or 4 numbers in small print on an AMEX card). 2. Your credit card company may have placed a hold on your credit card transaction. In this case, you will receive the following message on the payment screen: (2) This transaction has been declined.

    To resolve this issue, you need to contact your credit card company to ask them to remove any restriction they have placed on your credit card (they can do so instantly within their systems). Then you can re-submit your transaction online. 3. The billing zip code you entered may not match with your credit card company's record. In this case, you will receive the following message on the payment screen: (27) The transaction resulted in an AVS mismatch. The address provided does not match billing address of cardholder. When the error message (27) above appears on the screen, please verify the billing zip code against the one on your credit card statement, close the old payment screen and re-submit the transaction again from the BUY NOW link using the correct billing zip code. If you receive your credit card statement at your home address, your billing zip code should be your home zip code. Your billing zip code must match the first 5-digits of the zip code on your credit card statement to be successfully processed by our online payment system.

    4. Occasionally, the following error message may result after you re-submit the transaction: (98) This transaction cannot be accepted. If the error message (98) above appears on the payment screen, please close the payment screen (the one with a light yellow background) and re-start the payment process.

    5. Occasionally, the following error message may appear when our primary payment gateway is temporarily not available:

    (131) This transaction cannot be accepted at this time. If the error message (113) above appears on the payment screen, please use PayPal (the secondary payment gateway on our website) to make your payment.

    Is my credit card purchase 100% secure?

    Paypal uses the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology powered by the credit card processors to encrypt the information you send them when you place your order. The transaction information is encrypted on your computer, sent through the Internet as scrambled code, and decrypted on the credit card processor's secure server. Therefore, your credit card information is secure and cannot be read in transit.

    What is the definition of a PDH?

    A Professional Development Hour (PDH) is defined as one contact hour of instruction, presentation or study. The term PDH is commonly used in the engineering community. PDH credit cannot exceed the actual contact clock hours. PDH credit is rounded off to the nearest half hour. No activity under a half hour is accepted for credit. For example, a qualifying activity of 30 to 49 minutes would be reported as 0.5 PDH and an activity of 50 to 70 minutes would be reported as 1.0 PDH.

    Why am I having trouble accessing certain pages on Online-PDH’s site?

    Your web browser's cookie function may be disabled or your web browser is an old version. To access our personalized web pages, you may need to turn on the cookie function in your web browser per instructions below. If you're using Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or higher: On the browser menu bar, click 1. Choose Tools, then 2. Internet Options. 3. Click the Privacy tab, 4. Move the slider to the bottom to Accept All Cookies. Note: You may also click the Edit button to override cookie handling for individual websites or click the Advanced button to override automatic cookie handling. If you're using Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or 5.5: On the browser menu bar, click 1. Choose Tools, then 2. Internet Options. 3. Click the Security tab. 4. Click Internet, then Custom Level. 5. Scroll down to Cookies and Enable per-session cookies (not stored). If you're using Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later version: On the browser menu bar, click 1. Tools, then 2. Options, then 3. Click the Privacy icon, 4. Select "Accept cookies from sites". If enabling the cookie function in your browser does not eliminate the problem and your web browser is not the latest version, we recommend you to download the latest Microsoft Internet Explorer or download the latest Mozilla Firefox.

    What is the software needed to view the online course Study Guides?

    Adobe Acrobat Reader: Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later is required because most of our course materials are provided in PDF format.

    What are the PDH or (CPC) requirements per state?

    Typically, each licensee is required to obtain a total of 15 (30 if biennial) PDH units during a renewal period year. In Louisiana and Texas, 1 PDH unit must be earned in Engineering Ethics during the renewal period. Mississippi requires 2 PDH units of Ethics training during three renewal periods. In the state of Florida, each licensee must obtain 8 PDH units during each license renewal biennium; four (4) hours must relate to the licensee’s area(s) of practice and 4 hours must relate to the Board’s Laws and Rules (Florida Statute Chapter 471 and Florida Administrative Code Chapter 61G15). For more information regarding specific PDH or CPC requirements in your state, please visit our webpage State PDH Requirements or visit your board website.

    Do you report PDH credits to all state boards of registration?

    No. However, we will be glad to provide any information you or your board deem necessary to your state board, upon request.

    Do you offer corporate or group discounts?

    Yes. Group discounts are available to any companies or groups of PE licensees at a discounted rate of 1 free per 3 licensees. This offer applies to the 15 PDH credit package offer, as well as the 12 and 24 month unlimited memberships.

    To receive a special group discount, just contact us at admin@online-pdh.com with a list of the participating licensees.

    Do you share my contact info with other 3rd parties?

    We absolutely do not release your name, address, or email address to anyone, period. Furthermore, all credit card information is exchanged through the security of the Paypal website, thus we have absolutely no access to your private financial data.

    Do you accept all major credit cards?

    Yes. We accept all major credit cards through PayPal.com only.

    Why do you not offer courses for the state of New York?

    Our courses are accepted in all 50 states, with the exception of NY.
    • NY - Due to high application fee in New York, ($900 application fee for 3 years), it is not presently cost effective for us to offer courses in this state. Should there be a future high demand for courses in New York, we will attempt to apply in this state.

    Which states have mandatory Continuing Professional Competency requirements?

    Currently, forty-one states require evidence of Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) or Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) as a condition for renewal of the individual's professional license. Most other states are expected to follow suit in the near future. Our website contains a summary of CPC status for each state.

    To learn more about the CPC requirements of each state, you may visit our website page (State PDH Requirements), or go to the website of a particular state board of registration for professional engineers.

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    FAQs

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